QUESTION: My 80-year-old father hired a contractor to reroof the garage and do other repairs around the house. Included in the contract was redoing the front door entry concrete slab and filling planted areas with concrete.

The contractor had recommended this, agreeing to do the "additional work at no charge" if my father paid him cash for the entire job. He completed all the work except the concrete work. It has been nearly four months since the full payment was made.

Every time my father calls him, the contractor comes up with some excuse. I called and he promised to have the work completed by the end of January.

What can be done if he fails to do so? I feel my father was tricked into giving cash before the work was completed.

ANSWER: The state Regulated Industries Complaints Office inspected the work site, verified unlicensed contracting activity and issued a citation and stop work order to Gary T. Okumura last week, said JoAnn Uchida, RICO’s complaints and enforcement officer.

He was fined $10,400.

Okumura was the defendant in two unlicensed activity lawsuits filed by RICO in 1999 and 2003, Uchida said.

As a result, he was fined $78,640 and ordered to pay $134,100 in restitution for the first case, and fined $46,300 and ordered to pay $83,250 in restitution for the second. Neither judgment was paid, Uchida said.

"Mr. Okumura and his crew may be operating under other business names," she warned.

Anyone with questions or information about his contracting activities is asked to contact RICO at 587-3222.

When we contacted Okumura, he denied all allegations and said that he "did nothing wrong."

He said he did the work you cited as a favor to you and your father as a friend, not a contractor. He admitted he didn’t have a license, but said he uses someone else’s license. He declined to give specifics.

He also said that he would sue the state, including the Department of Taxation, for putting out false information and "for putting me through hell."

The Tax Department listed him as the No. 1 delinquent taxpayer, owing more than $1.9 million in income taxes, when it came out with its delinquent taxpayer list in 2009. He is still on the list.

Okumura also said he would sue the Star-Advertiser if we named him.

CHECKING CONTRACTORS

Homeowners are encouraged to check www.businesscheck.hawaii.gov for information about a person’s or business’s license status and complaints history. For tips on hiring a licensed contractor, or to get a complaint form, go to www.licensedcontractor.hawaii.gov or call the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs at 587-3222.

MAHALO

To the doctor (our angel) who helped my mom after she was run over by a car in late December. My parents and niece were in the Todai Restaurant parking garage. My mom was standing in front of the vehicle, which accelerated, and the next thing you know, she was under the vehicle. She was able to push her way out, but was frantic, as her leg was completely covered in blood. The doctor, on his way to a luncheon at Todai, was able to calm her down and help my dad comfort her until the ambulance arrived. My dad remembers the paramedics arriving, but when he turned around, the doctor was gone. He wasn’t able to get his name. God bless him and his family. — Blessed in Pauoa

Write to "Kokua Line" at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or e-mail kokualine@staradvertiser.com.